Apparatus for applying transverse strip to wrapper web



Nov. 14, 1961 '.J. JACKSON ETAL 3,008,383

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING TRANSVERSE STRIP TO WRAPPER WEB Filed Nov. 24, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 -745 1760 STRIP wEB 2 F |G.1 0f? 3 3 SUPPLY ,/0

Nov. 14,

J. JACKSON ETAL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING TRANSVERSE STRIP TO WRAPPER WEB JOHN JACKSON ARTH UR G LOGAN BY 14a TORN EY Nov. 14, 1961 J. JACKSON ETAL 3,008,383

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING TRANSVERSE STRIP TO WRAPPER WEB Filed Nov. 24, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 f92\ 143 ff@ /fo 1425 E l /4/ 'A 6,2 .fw/Fl. j L96 JCM fw /00 INVENTORQ JOH N JACKSON' ARTH U R G- LOGAN IATTORNEY 3,003,383 APPARATUS FR APPLYING SVERSE STRIP T WRAPPER WEB John Jackson, Brooklyn, and Arthur G. Logan, North Merrick, NJK., assignors to American Machine &

Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Fiied Nov. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 855,659 Claims. (Cl. 93 1) This invention relates to apparatus for applying a strip to a web, and more particularly, to improved apparatus for use in cigarette packaging. While the invention will be described in connection with this principal use, such application of the invention is intended to be illustrative.

In the packaging of cigarettes it is the usual practice to envelop a quantity of cigarettes in a foil-paper Wrapper, which protects the freshness of the tobacco. The packet thus formed is enclosed in an outer wrapper of soft paper or hard paper-board, which in turn is surrounded by a cellophane sheath. Since the cigarettes are tightly packed, diiiiculty is often experienced in removing them when the package is first opened. It is proposed to alleviate such diiculty by employing a lifter strip to assist in lifting one or two cigarettes from a newly opened pack and thereby facilitate their removal. The present invention concerns unique apparatus for forming a wrapper incorporating a lifter strip and it is accordingly a principal object of the invention to provide such apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the foregoing type which is readily adaptable to use with existing cigarette packaging machinery.

Another object of the invention is to provide unique apparatus for slitting and crushing discreet portions of a wrapper web and for applying a strip to the web in correlation with such portions.

An additional object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the foregoing type which permits intermittent or periodic operation upon a web as it is fed substantially continuously to a wrapping machine.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for facilitating the foregoing purpose by periodically creating slack in the moving web.

A still further object of the invention is to provide unique apparatus of the type set forth above in which the slack creation is in timed relationship to the feeding, cutting, and attaching of a strip to the wrapper web.

An additional object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the foregoing type in which heat sealing means is incorporated within a mechanism which advances a strip and presses it onto the wrapper web.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the Kforegoing type which employs an oscillating carriage to actuate strip feeding means.

Briey stated, the apparatus of the invention, which may be interposed between a wrapper `web supply and a web folding machine, comprises devices for slitting and crushing discreet portions of a Wrapper web and for attaching a lifter strip to the web in a predetermined relation to the slit and crushed portions. The wrapper web is fed substantially continuously to the folding machine,

' atent but slack is created in the web periodically so that a por- 3,08,383 Patented Nov. 14, 15.961

pany drawings, which illustrate a preferred and exemplary embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view, partly in section and partly cut away, illustrating the use of the invention in supplying a lwrapper folding machine with wrappers that are slit, crushed, and provided with lifter strips;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view of the apparatus of FIGURE l as seen in the direction of 2 2, with the machinery at the bottom of FIGURE 1 deleted;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3 3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an elevation View taken along line 4 4 of FIGURE l to illustrate certain features of the invention more clearly;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation View of a slitting device employed in the invention;

FIGURE 6` is a view of the device of FIGURE 5 as seen in the direction of arrows 6; and

FIGURE 7 is a plan view iliustrating the wrapper after slitting, crushing, and attachment of the lifter strip.

Referring to FIGURE l of the drawings, the apparatus 10 of the invention is illustrated in association with a wrapper lfolding mechanism partially shown at 12. The folding mechanism may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Letters Patent 1,875,986, issued September 6, 1932 to W. B. Bronander for Folding Mechanism for Packaging Machines. The apparatus of the invention is interposed between the mechanism l2 and a wrapper web supply 14, such as a large supply roll, the wrapper web 16 passing from the supply i4 through the apparatus 10 of the invention and then to the folding mechanism 12. The lifter strips to be associated with the wrapper web are obtained from a strip web 1S, the strip web being fed to the apparatus 10' from a supply 2li', which also may be a large supply roll.

Before considering the apparatus in detail it is helpful to refer to FIG. 7, wherein the wrapper blank 16A to be formed Iby the apparatus of the invention and fed to the folding mechanism l2. is illustrated.` The wrapper web is crushed at discrete portions 22, 24, and `26 and is slit at 28, 29, and 36 as will be described. The lifter strip is shown at 32 and extends transversely of the web from the crushed portion `2.2i to the crushed portion 26, being attached to edge portions of the web in a manner to be described. Arrow 34 indicates the direction of travel of the wrapper blank through the apparatus of the invention.

Ultimately, the crushed portions 24 and 26 of the wrapper will lie along the longitudinal edges of the bottom of the cigarette pack, and the crushed portion 22 will lie across the top, the lifter strip being located on the inside of the Wrapper against the cigarettes. When the cigarette package is opened, the crushed portion 22 within the coniines of the slits 23 and 29 is torn away by the user. This exposes the cigarettes and frees the upper end of the lifter strip 32 from the wrapper. An upward pull on the lifter strip will move the tips of one or more cigarettes out of the pack, so that they may easily be grasped. The crushed portions 24 and 26 and slit 30 facilitate the raising of the cigarettes by permitting the pull to be eX- erted directly on the cigarettes, and prevent tearing of the wrapper. p

To form the blank of FIGURE 7, the web 16, which conventionally is a paper-foil laminate, passes `from the web supply 14, as shown in FIGURE l, through a slitter mechanism generally designated Sie, then "to a lifter strip attachment station generally designated 38, through a feed and crushing mechanism generally designated 4d, and then to the apparatus I2. 'Ihe slitter mechanism 36 is best seen in FIGURES 2, 5, and 6. As shown in FIGURE 2, the slitter mechanism comprises a pair of slitter wheels 42 and 44. These Wheels are fixed to a common shaft 46 by set screws 48 and 5i). Wheel 42 carries a cutting disk 52 with an exposed arcuate knife blade 54 of suicient circumferential length to cut the slit 30 shown in FIGURE 7. Wheel 44 has a cutting disk 56 with a knife blade 58 which extends circumferentially and longitudinally as shown in FIGURE 5. The longitudinal portion is designated 58A. The circumferential portion is divided into three arcuate sections 58B, 58C, and 58D. Portion 58A forms the slits 29 in the blank of FiGURE 7, and portions 58B, 58C, and 58D form the successive slits 28 of FIGURE 7. It will be noted that the slits 28 and 29 are separated by smallV uncut lands. Y

Referring again to FIGURE 2, the shaft. 46 is supported for rotation on a carriage 68 having sides 62 and 64 on which the shaft 46 is journaled. One end of shaft 46 passes beyond side 64 ofthe carriage and supports a spur gear 66 fixed lthereto by a set screw 68. Gear 66 meshes with a driving spur gear '78 fixed by a set screw 72 tothe end of a drive shaft 74, which extends through the carriage sides 62 and 64 to a source of rotary motive power, such as an electric motor (not shown). Shaft 74 also carries a drum 76 fixed to the shaft. The drum serves as a backing surface for the sritter blades 54 and 58, the web 16 passing therebetween as shown in FIGURE 1. By virtue of the gears 66 and 76 the cutter wheels 42 and 44 rotate in a sense opposite to the rotation of the drum 76. It will be noted that when the slitting blades are away Vfrom the surface of the drum, there is sufiicientspace between the drum and the cutting wheels 42 and 44 to permit the web to pass freely therebetween.

'I'he wrapper web 16 is fed through the apparatus of the invention by the feed mechanism 46, which comprises a pair of feed rolls 78 and 88 which are journaled on the A sides 62 and 64 of the carriage. The feed rolls also serve as the web crushing mechanism, roll 78 being provided with embossed or bevelled portions 82, 84, and 86 which are located Yto form the crushed portions 22, 24, and 26 which are located to form the crushed portions 22, 24, and 26, respectively of the blank of FIGURE 7. Roll Si) serves as a backing member during the Vcrushing operation. One end of roll St) has a spur gear 88 driven by a spur gear 90 at the corresponding end of roll 78. Gear 99 and roll 78 are driven from shaftY 74 by a chain drive including a driving sprocket wheel 92 tixed to shaft 74, Va chain 94, and a driven sprocket wheel 96 fixed to the shaft which supports the gear 90 and the drum 78. The drive shaft 74 rotates substantially continuously during the operation of the apparatus of the invention, and hence the feed mechanisrn 40 advances the web 16 substantially continuously.

As shown in FIG. l, feed mechanism 4t) draws the lwrapper web 16 through the slitter mechanism 36 Iand past the lifter strip attachment station 38. At the attachment station the web passes over an anvil 98 which has a curved upper surface.V The anvil is fixed to a floating base 100 by screws 102 as shown in FIGURE 4. The base is supported by compression springs 184 which surround upright studs 106 extending from a platform 108 through bores in the base 100. The oating base of the anvil has a depending bolt 110 threaded into a nut 112 at the bottom of the base, passing through a bore in the top of the platform 188 and having an enlarged head 113 which is normally spaced below the top of the platform 108 but which may engage the platform to limit upward movement of the anvil with respect to the platform. Platform 1418 has a bottom portion 108A secured to the sides 62 and 64 of the carriage by bolts 114 las shown in FIGURE 1. The anvil is thus resiliently mounted upon the carriage having an upward `movement with respect to the carriage limited by the head 113 of the bolt 110 and a downward movement limited by compression of the springs 104.

As shown in FIGURE l, the underside of the wrapper web 16 is engagedrby a 4roller 116 between the anvil 98 and the feed mechanism 40. Roller 116 extends across the web as shown in FIGURE 2 and is mounted on upright arms 118 and 120 fixed by set screws 122 and 124 to a shaft 126 supported in journals 128 and 130 on the carriage 6i). One end of shaft 126 has .a depending arm 132 fixed thereto by a set screw 134. The lower end of this arm supports a cam follower roller 136 which engages the periphery of a cam 138 (see FiG. l). Cam 138 rotates with the shaft which supports the feed roll '78 and Ifrom its configuration illustrated in FIGURE 1 it is apparent that the cam imparts an oscillatory movement to the roller 116 away fromand toward the anvil 98. Movement of roller 116 away from the anvil increases the amount of wrapper web 16 drawn from its supply 14, and since the feed mechanism 40 operates at a substantially constant rate, a slack in 'the web is created between the feed mechanism atlanti the strip attachment station 38 when the relier 116 moves toward the anvil. The operation of the cam 138 is synchronized with the operationof the slitter mechanism 36, so that when the cam causes the roller 116 to'move away Vfrom the anvil and thus overfeed the web 16, the knives of the slitter wheels are away from the surface of the backing drum 76 to permit the web 16 to pass freely therebetween. Moreover, during the wrapper web over-feed the anvil 98 is moved away from the strip at- -tachrnent station.

The lifter strip web 18 which is preferably of heat sealable material or material coated therewith is fed from its supply 28 by a feed mechanism generally designated v141)."The drive mechanism for the strip web is best seen in FIGURE 3 and includes a feed roller 142 and a cooperating idler roller 144. Feed roller 142 is journaled on a floating frame 145 (see FIG. l) which pivots on the main frame 146 at 147 and is biased against idler roller 144 by a spring 149 compressed between the floating frame and a bracket 151 attached to the main frame. A spring force adjustment 153 is provided at bracket 151. Roller 144 is journaied on the main frame 146. Feed roller 142 is driven stepwise by unidirectional clutches 148 and 148A. Clutches 148 and 148A are driven by a vcrank arm 152 pivotally connected at 154 to another arm 156. Clutches 148 and 148A are operative to drive feed roller 142 only onthe downward movement of arm 156 of which the operative mechanism is further driven hereinbelow. Clutches 148 and 148A are commercially available from the Curtiss Wright Corporation, Marquette Division, Cleveland, Ohio. Asshown in FIGURES l and 2, arm 156 may be adjustable in length to control the throw of the ratchet mechanism, and to this end one of the arm parts may be slotted at 158 and lthe other provided with set screws 160 which pass through the slot 158. The lower end of arm 156 is pivotally connected at 162 to a lacket 164 fixed as by bolts 166 to side 62 of the carriage The strip 18 passes around an idler roller 168 journaled on the oating frame 145 as shown in FIGURE 1 and then passes through thefeed mechanism 146. 'Ihe feed mechanism is actuated by oscillation of the carriage 6) about the axis of drive shaft 74. To accomplish this purpose, side 62 of the carriage is provided with a slot as shown in FIGURES l and 2. The slot receives a drive roller 172 mounted eccentrically on a hub 174 thatis fixed -by a set screw 176 to a drive shaft 178. Shaft 178 may be driven from the same source of motive power as the shaft 74. Rotation of shaft 178 causes the roller 172 to move in an orbit and imparts an oscillatory movement to the carriage 60. The bracket 164 thus moves up and down Vcarrying with it the arm 156 and driving the feed mechanism 140 of the strip web.

Operation of the strip web feed mechanism 146 advances the web step-by-step to a strip cutter 180 best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4. The strip cutter has a reciprocating knife 182 with a beveled blade 184. The

202. Lever 262 is fixed to one end of a shaft 2M which extends perpendicular to the plane of FIGURE 2. The other end of the shaft is fixed to an arm 266 having a yoke at its free end which embraces a pin d. Pin 2&8 is fixed to the tcp of a slide 21d, which reciprocates in guides 212 and 214 mounted on the frame la of the apparatus. t the bottom of the slide 2l@ is a roller 2id which engages ythe top of a pivoting cam follower arm 2id provided with a roller 22d which engages the surface of a cam 222 (see FEGURB l). Cam 222 is fixed to drive shaft 17S, and a projection on the cam surface periodicaliy moves the slide 2li? upward, imparting a downward movement to the knife 182. ri'he slide is biased to a downward position by a return spring 224', which is compressed between guide 2l2 and a collar 22o fixed to the slide. Reciprocation of the knife 182 cuts a lifter strip from the strip web 1S. rihe cutting of the strip is synchronized with the strip web feed mechanism 14d so that the strip web 18 is advanced by the feed mechanism to expose ythe desired width of strip beyond xed blade 195, and then the strip is cut from the web.

@nce the lifter strip has been cut, it is necessary to press it onto the wrapper web 16 and attach it thereto. For this purpose a pressing and heat sealing mechanism 22B is employed. The lifter strip 32 is to be attached to the blank 16A of FEGURE 7 only at small Zones adjacent the edges of the blank. Hence, presser feet 23@ and 232 are provided at the respective sides of the web 16 (see FIGURES l and 2). The presser feet contain electric heaters 234 and 23d operative to heat seal the underside of strip web 1S which is of heat scalable material or coated with heat scalable material to the wrapper web when pressed thereagainst by presser feet 239 and 232, thus sealing the lifter strip to the wrapper web.

The presser feet are located at the ybottom of legs 238 and 2.4i? (RGS. l and 2) which move up and down through guide slots 242 and 244 in a horizontal member 146A of the rame 146. The tops of the legs 233 249 are pivotally connected to a shaft 24d which in turn is pivotally supported by a pair of arms 243 and 25d. Arms 248 and 250 are pivotally connected to a shaft 252. which is supported on the frame i146. Intermediate points on the legs 238 and 2.4i) are pivotally connected to shaft 254, which is supported at one end of arms 25a? and 258, the other ends of which are fixed to a shaft 2e@ pivoted on the frame. Shaft 26d is supported in the spaced arms of frame 146A. An arm 262 is attached to one end of shaft 269; the other end of arm 262 has a pin 254 reciprocable in a slot 256 (see FIG. l) at the end of a link 258, upward pressure on the pin 264 being maintained by a captive compression spring 276 in the slot. The lower end of link 263 is pivotally connected at 272 to one arm of a bell crank 274 journaled on the frame at 276. rThe other arm of the bell crank supports a cam follower roller 27S which engages a cam 28d' fixed to drive shaft 17d. A tension spring 28?. fixed at one end to a pin on the last-mentioned arm of the bell crank and xed at its other end to the frame 146 urges the cam follower roller 278 against the cam 281'). Rotation of cam Zll causes the bell crank to oscillate, reciprocating the link 263 and ultimately the presser feet 23d and 232. The presser feet are tapered as shown in PEG- URE, l so that they move along the back surface of the cutter blade 134 and press the strip which has just been cut from the strip web 18 down upon the wrapper web 16 on the anvil 98. The linkage just described for supporting the presser feet ensures that the presser feet move down upon the anvil along a path which complements the blade bevel. Spring 266 introduces resiliency in the presser feet linkage. Operation of the presser feet mechanism is synchronized with respect to the other mechanisms, so that the strip which has just been cut is pressed down against the anvil 9S when the anvil has moved up ward to the attachment station subsequent to the forma- 6 tion of slack in the web 16 by the slack forming roller 116.

In the operation of the apparatus of the invention, the Wrapper web 16 passes from the supply 14 through the slitting mechanism 36, then over the anvil 98 at the strip attachment station 33, over the slack forming roller 116, and through the feed and crushing mechanism 40. Slack forming roller lid periodically increasesthe amount of Wrapper web feed. The over-feeding of the wrapper web occurs while the carriage 6d is moving downward, so that the anvil 9d is drawn away from the strip attachment station 38, and while the sltter wheels are in such position as to permit the web 16 to pass freely. As the carriage moves downward, the strip web feed mechanism 140 advances the strip web 13 a predetermined amount. When the carriage moves upward, the strip web feed means 140 idles, and the over-feed roller 116 for the wrapper web 16 moves toward the `anvil 98 so as to create slack in the wrapper web. As the anvil moves into position at the strip attachment station 38, the knife 182 moves downward and cuts the exposed strip from the web i8. Immediately thereafter the presser feet 230 and 232 press the cut strip against the anvil supported portion of web 16 (which is stationary momentarily because of the slack) 'and seal it to the web, the paper side of the'web facing the lifter strip. Meanwhile the slack in the web i6 is being taken up by the wrapper web feed mechanism di). The wrapper web with the newly attached strip then passes from the attachment station 38 through the feed rolls 76 and '7S which crush the wrapper as previously described. The wrapper web then passes toI the folding apparatus 12, which in the form shown comprises a guide 254, at the lower end of which a knife V2S6 reciprocates to cut the wrapper web lo into sections like 164A shown in FIGURE 7. The cut wrapper section then passes to another guide 28S and then to folding means 290 of the wrapping mechanism (not shown), where it is wrapped v about the cigarettes.

As indicated previously, the wrapper slitting, strip feeding, strip cutting, strip attaching, wrapper over-feeding, and wrapper crushing mechanisms must all be synchronized to ensure that the proper sequence of operations is obtained, and more particularly, to ensure that the lifter strip is properly correlated with the crushed and slit portions of the wrapper blank. The position of the lifter strip may be altered, if desired, by simple adjustment of the timing of the apparatus.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides unique apparatus for forming a wrapper web with a lifter strip. While Ka preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. For example, instead of pre-coating the strip web with adhesive, glue may be applied by an applicator forming part of the apparatus described. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiment is to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive of the invention, and those modifications which come within the mean* ing and range of equivalency of the claims are to be included therein.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the type described, comprising means for feeding a wrapper web from a wrapper web supply, means for feeding a :strip web from a strip web supply to a location adjacent the wrapper web, means for periodically creating slack in said wrapper web beyond said location, and means for cutting a strip from said strip web and attaching it to said wrapper web while the latter is slackened.

2. The apparatus of claim l, said slack crea-ting means comprising an oscillating roller supported on an oscillating carriage, said strip web advancing means comprising a roller having an actuating connection to said carriage.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said oscillating carriage supporting an anvil movable with said carriage away from and toward said location and backing said wrapper web at said location.

4. Apparatus of the type described, comprising feed means for advancing a web substantially continuously from a web supply, means located along said web between said feed means `and said web supply for placing strips ladjacent said web periodically, means for periodically creating slack in said web between its feed means and said strip placing means, and means for yattaching a placed strip to said web while it is slackened.

5. Apparatus for providing a wrapper web with a lifter strip, comprising feed means engaging said web and advancing it continuously pasta strip attachment station, over-feed means engaging said web between said feed means and said attachment station for periodically drawing said web past said station at an increased rate and then releasing said web to create slack between said feed means and said station, strip feed means for advancing a strip to said attachment station periodically, and means for attaching the strip at said station to the web while said slack exists.

6. vThe apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an anvil adjacent said web at the strip attachment station,

Vmeans for moving said anvil away from said station as said web is drawn past at an increased rate and for moving it back to said station as said slack -is created, said anvil serving as a support for said web during strip attachment.

7. Apparatus to be interposed between a wrapper web supply and -a package wrapping machine, comprising means for continuously feeding a wrapper web from said supply to said machine, means for slitting predetermined portions of said wrapper web, means for 'crushing predetermined portions of said wrapper web correlated with the slit portions, a strip attachment station by which said wrapper web passes in traveling between said suppiy and saidmachine, means for periodically creating slack in said wrapper web between said supply and said machine, means for periodically advancing a strip web from a strip web supply to said attachment station, means for periodically cutting a strip from said strip web, and means for periodically attaching la cut strip to said wrapper web in predetermined correlation with said slit and crushed portions while said wrapper web is slackened.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 said slack creating means comprising means for intermittently increasing the rate at which said wrapper web is fed from said supply, said slitting means being located between said slack creating meansV and said supply and being disengaged from saidy wrapper web When said wrapper web is fed at said increased rate.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, said crushing means and said wrapper feed means comprising the same pair of rollers between which said wrapper web passes.

i0. The apparatus of claim 7, said slack creating means comprising an oscillating roller supported on an oscillating carriage, said strip web advancing means comprising a roller having an actuating connection to said carriage.

1l. The apparatus of claim 10, said oscillating carriage supporting an anvil movable with said carriage away from and toward said attachment station and backing said wrapper web at said station.

12. The apparatus of claim l0, said oscillating carriage being supported on a frame and being driven by an eccentric rotatable on said frame, said strip cutting means comprising a reciprocating knife mounted on said frame.

13. Apparatus of the type described, comprising means for feeding a main web past a strip attachment station, means for feeding a strip web to said station, means for cutting a strip from said strip web adjacent said station, and means for pressing the out strip onto said main web and attaching it thereto at said station, said main web feed means being supported on an oscillating carriage, said carriage also supporting an anvil which is moved away from and toward said attachment station by oscillation of said carriage and which backs said main web at said station.

14. The -appartus of claim 13, said strip web feed means having an actuating connection to said carriage.

l5. The apparatus of claim 13, said strips being heat scalable to said main web, and said pressing means comprising heater means.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,865,261 VSeraenoli Dec. 23, 1958 2,922,342 Chalmers et al J an. 26, 1960 2,942,528 Ouellette .lune 28, 1960 

